Shuffled Thoughts
by Beckon
Summary: She had formed such a small circle of people she was comfortable with, it was difficult to add in someone new, someone who didn't know an inch or word about her. Oneshot.


_"Familiar acts are beautiful through love." - Percey Bysshe Shelley_

It was strange how something as simple as having someone else at her side could make every little hour different. Beforehand, things used to be so simple, unmoving and rather boring at times, but now… now everything felt flipped upside down. In a good way.

In the mornings, she liked to try and fight the sun that beamed in through her windows; she went so far as to nearly suffocate herself with her pillows in order to avoid letting the sun hit her eyes. But he was always more willing to get up before that hour and walk about the small cottage she had made a purchase on a year or so ago. She could always hear the almost rhythmic clicking of his toenails against the hardwood floor as he padded about in his full Laguz form, careful to not damage the floorboards underneath his heavy feet. It always made her laugh for some reason, a reaction she was certain she would never completely understand.

It always took an hour or two before she could will herself out from bed, using one leg to kick aside the thin covers as best she could, often times failing at just that. Tired, sometimes aching legs would have to be convinced over the edge of the mattress as she forced herself into something of a sitting position; using the moment to stretch her wings out and listen to the accompanying pops that followed every fluttering motion for a few, brief seconds. He usually managed to find his way back into the small room at that time, often times seating himself in front of her- every now and again, he'd rest his head on her leg. She used to be bothered by the ritual, preferring that he'd wait until she was wearing something more appropriate before he came bouncing back in. But times had changed and she couldn't care less for the loose, oversize tunic that barely clung to her slender form; never bothered with the fact that the shoulders didn't fit on her own and the neck space was actually wide enough to slip down part of her arms instead. She had made enough modifications to the thin material that it didn't seem hardly useable anymore, but it was finally comfortable enough for her. The back portion of it had, for the most part, been cut out to allow for her black wings to hang out more freely and not be restricted by the touch of clothing. In the end, it was hardly anything appropriate to be seen in… but sleeping in was a different matter.

The loose folds of the fabric that seemed to dangle on her fragile form were all the more revealing for a different reason as well though. It was more than just skin being visible, and a little more than showing off the subtle curves of her breasts that toyed above the hemmed neckline. There were memories etched into her skin in the form of white, subtle scars that read like stories underneath her own fingertips. A simple brushing touch made them ache beneath her hands and sometimes she wondered if the wounds were still there; she wondered if they had ever gone away in the first place.

She used to hate letting him see them.

She had formed such a small circle of people she was comfortable with, it was difficult to add in someone new, someone who didn't know an inch or word about her.

Slowly over time though, he somehow managed to wiggle his way in and help her understand.

_It was a small whine resonating behind her that alerted her of his presence. She lifted herself away from the small amount of work she had brought home with her and looked back to him; eyes having to drop down significantly to where his large, Wolf form was standing. His thick coat was damp from the rain outside and she almost had to keep herself from laughing at his almost sad looking form. _

"_Oh, let me get you a towel or something." she remarked, trying hard to stifle the chuckle that desperately wanted to get loose. She tossed her papers aside onto a nearby table and moved to step into the next room. Guiding her way through the small area, hands pulled open a closet and reached in to retrieve one of the towels she had folded and set aside earlier that day- now glad she had forced herself to do a bit of laundry that morning. The light clicking of claws against the floor signaled that he had slowly followed after her; letting out another short whine. "Don't worry, I've got something right here." _

_His head cocked to one side at the words before he shifted out of one form and into the next, revealing a rather more appealing physique to her. His bare chest was difficult to ignore, especially seeing as his bronze skin was seemingly stretched over a large collection of well-developed muscles. He didn't seem to be bothered with proper attire, choosing the desert clothing regardless of where he went or what kind of attention it drew to him. This wasn't the first time he had made the long journey across the desert and into Begnion itself to visit her, but she still found herself blushing at his rather scantily dressed form._

"… _Right uh… here you go." she stammered briefly, her words broken up by a small fit of nervous chuckles as she pushed the towel against his chest. _

_He didn't grab for the material and if she had let it go right then it probably would've fallen into a crumpled heap to the floor below. Instead, he seemed to merely stand there for what felt like an eternity; his near black eyes never once leaving her own. _

_Slowly, his hand lifted and he pressed a finger against her right shoulder, touching nothing in particular._

"_This?" the word sounded confused on his lips as though he wasn't sure if that was the one he had been looking for. His native tongue was in the ancient language but throughout their long months together, he seemed to be trying to work on that; learning a few words here or there as well as going along with a few short lessons she passed on to him. _

_A brief frown came to her lips at the question and she found herself trying to figure out his words as well. She moved to cover the area he touched at, feeling nothing in particular. "This?" she repeated._

"_This." _

"_What is this?" _

_He nodded in response and she actually had to look down to see what he was pointing at, seeing nothing in particular._

"_Well… this is my shoulder." she answered, offering a light chuckle as she pushed the towel against him once more- he took it this time. "I gotta sign some papers but they shouldn't take that long. Maybe when the rain calms down we can go get something to eat." she took his silence as a sort of agreement before she turned to head back to her papers; she just needed to sign off on a few things and get them back to the office by tomorrow night in order to close this latest case._

_She was barely even half a step away before she felt that same touch against the back of the same shoulder._

"_This." _

It was a scar that stretched two or three inches across the back of her right shoulder; it wasn't always visible though, it had aged well and somehow managed to merge into the same shade of her skin. Even to this day she never knew how he managed to spot it… sometimes she forgot it was there. Physically anyways. The story of it still remained somewhere in the back of her head.

He was persistent with wanting to know about it when she failed to give him an answer in the first place and even somewhat refused to give him an answer overall. It went back to that circle of trust and at that time, he wasn't in it and she wasn't passing out forms for more people. Somehow he managed to break her down though, something she wasn't entirely happy with but she had exhausted herself with trying to ignore his questions. They had been together for a few months now and had fought through the Goddess war as well… she guessed that was enough to justify letting him know.

It was the white marks across her skin, each one different and unique; each one caused by something different, some kind of new weapon, whatever was within reach. There was a list detailing each story, each event, running through the details of every night and every faint bruise that, while had healed years before, still pained her skin.

Hands pressing, pinning down.

Limbs aching with every faint movement of her body, every forced motion just to get her blood flowing to her fingertips again; every forced motion just to realize that she was still alive… even if she didn't want to be at times.

A short whine broke her from her thoughts and brought her attention back to the Wolf form that was still seated in front of her; his head half propped on her leg.

A short smile came to her lips at his almost comical position, seeing how the silent, almost brooding guard could still have his moments. She moved to ruffle the dark fur around his neck and played with his slightly crooked ear before she stifled the short yawn that came to her lips. "It's too early." the words muttered on her lips, but they had a long day ahead of them. She leaned over to the nearby table beside her bed and fumbled for her hairbrush, almost embarrassing herself with how many times it took for her to just get a hold on it. Her black locks were tangled and messy as they fell to her shoulders in uncoordinated sheets; she used to get quite a few compliments on the lushness of the strands, but they were a battle in themselves just to brush the knots out. Sometimes she wondered if it would just be easier to cut them short instead.

Pushing her locks over one shoulder, she moved to pull the brush through the tangled strands; trying to move at a decent pace to get the job done correctly and quickly. She chuckled as he continued to sit there and stare, seemingly content with just watching her at first.

"It's nothing entertaining." she started, watching as he straightened himself up for a moment before he moved to settle his feet at her side. She tried to stifle another chuckle as he stretched his neck up to her, his wet nose just barely coming into contact with her dry one. A short laugh finally broke its way free across her lips and she dipped forward just enough to plant a soft kiss against the flat bridge of his nose. "Don't you have something more important to do?"

Another brief whine was followed by quick transformation shift, leaving her staring more appropriately into a pair of dark eyes with a strong set of arms wrapped around her waist. She had barely started to brush her hair and soon enough the task was left behind her as he moved to push himself to his feet; arms keeping themselves around her as he leaned into her and left them both tumbling back against the mattress. Her wings fluttered briefly beneath her, unfolding just enough to prevent being crushed beneath their combined weight.

He kissed her, soft, warm and unforgiving in a good way; it churned butterflies in her stomach, fluttering wings that tickled the inside of chest, beating alongside the rhythmic pattern of her heart. Fingers pushed through the soft tangles of her hair, losing themselves in the ebony mess of uncoordinated locks. And she returned the embrace without a moment of hesitation, allowing for the both of them to become physically and emotionally lost to the slow to rise morning just outside.

Simplicity no longer existed any more.

The task of just brushing her hair was complicated and often times left unfinished with him around. Something as simple and familiar as that was completely different now, even if it was just a small step in the complicated dance they were both learning to do.

She still had a few more lessons to learn but he had taught her more than she was expecting to gain from a man like himself.

**A/N: Got the idea from a writing prompt I found somewhere but then I ended up leaving the prompt about halfway through, unintentionally. I decided to leave the quote portion of it though, figuring it was at least worth a small portion of the story. **


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